Radiator core



H LA. KUENZQ I RADIATOR CORE. IAPPLI'CATION FILED.APR.II. 1920.

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Patented S n: gm.

$53.. u g \A WITNESSES Patented Sept, 19, 1922. v

i JOSEPH A. KUENZ, OF 'J'AGKSON, MICHIGAN.

nAnI ToR-ooRn. 1

Application filed April 1,

is a specification.

This inventlonhas reference to radiator cores designed particularly for use in con-.

nection with radiators of motor vehicles chines, motor boats, vetc. I

The object of theinvention is to provide a cellular structure of more rigid construction than heretofore, without undue increase in weight and having large aircirculat'ing such as automobiles, tractors, flying ma {spaces in conjunction with water circulat-. ling spaces through whichlatter the-cooling, v g

the core is'lodged andlfsecuredi in any'ap.'

propriateway. V

[water has free courselbut in a tortuouspath,

whereby the water, after passingathrough. the engine andbecoming-heated is subjected to th action of an ample volume of air to, rapidly cool the water, such cooling medium f being the one usually employed for explo u sion engines, although, of courseyother cooling mediums may be used.

The walls of the circulatingchannels for, the waterare made of thin sheet metal, such as brass or copper, but preferably brass which has the advantage 'of strength overcopper and-also has otheradvantages. The

. sheet metal is stamped or otherwise formed.

. drawn on a largerscale.

into shapes which contribute to strength, assemblageand the production of large radiating surfaces. The invention, will be best understood from a consideration of the following de-- tailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part, .of this specification, with the understanding, however, that the invention is not confinedto any strict conformity with the showing in the drawings, but may be changed and modified sojlong as suchwchanges and. modifications mark no material departurev from the salient features oftheinvention as expressed in the, appended claims- In the drawings, -Fig.'1- -i safront elevation o embodying the invention. v

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a-p'ortion of'the core of the radiator shown? in Fig. 1 but Fig. '3 is an elevation onythe scale of Fig. 2 of'gtwo elements or units of the radiator fa radiator I core with the units one end of the-unit-while the ends-of the 1920.; steal a). 370,406.

their construction. i Fig. dis a sect-ion on s-..-

, I .Fig, 5, is afsection on the line"5 '5 of Fig 6 is a perspective v-iewofa one-piece core unit with'the sides spread; apartfrom the end where connected.

In the drawings parated 'to better show there is shown a radiator 1 which maybe considered as -,of custon'cary outline and including upper and lower'chamconnecting the ;top;and bottom chambers I and with the latter constituting'a'jframein which The radiator c 'theline 4 4 er the said sidesare integrally I v here 2, 3 aboveand belowa core 4: of cellular type In the particular "showing of. the

. drawings, theradmtor has s de members-5 elements or unitsijoin'ed face. to face, and a 7 portion of one oflwhich is best; shownfinja partially displayed position in Flg. 6.

Each core unit, indicated. generally at. 6, j

is preferably made; of a relatively', long and relatively narrow sheet 0f 'stri'pgformf, as

to rear and twice as long. as thewcore from top to .bottom, -the strip being foldedupon itself intermediate ofit's length. The intermediate folded portion of the strip' closes strip remote from the foldare brought to gether and 'j oined by, soldering, or otherwise, to form a closurefor,the'unlt. p

The edges of the strip are crimped'as Shown at 7, 'such crimping, in the' particu la r showing of the drawing, belng 'semlhexagonal so' that when the edges of the strip are brought together and o ned: solder orotherwise, there is formed, on each side of the strip a longitudinal rowfof open ings or ells of hexagonal" outline .leadillg into the space between the .ad acent walls diagonally across the strip between the edges 7 ineach-wall of the unit arehollowrlbs 8.

I each ofa depth somewhat less. than the, projection of the crimps or corrugations offthe edges ,7, so that when the edges arebrought together and fastened, the space between the formed by the folded strip; Extending.

I I oreis made up of anassemblage of' numerous substantially ldentical between the walls but with the continuity of flow retarded by the diagonal ribs projecting into the air space. The units are so set that the hexagonal openings are at the front and back of the radiator with. the ribs slanting from front to rear, those in one wall of the unit slanting upwardly and those in the other wall of the unit slanting downwardly, so that the ribs cross each other near their outer ends but need not actually touch, whereby air flowing through the radiator core is greatly disturbed by'the tortuousness of the paths through which it flows and the air is enabled to very readily absorb a great amount of heat in its flow through the radiator. Such flow is materially prolonged so that the absorbing action of the air in passing through the radiator is correspondingly prolonged and is correspondingly more ethcient than where the path of flow of the air is straight through the radiator from front to rear.

The ribs 8 are pressed into the walls of the radiator unit from one face of each wall, so that the opposite wall is flat with numerous elongated hollows in it formed by the obverse of the ribs. In this way, each rib is I in relief on one face of the sheet from which the radiator unit is formed and in intaglio on the opposite face.

Such a radiator core unit-is particularly f strong and rigid, this being due to the cellular form of the edges 7 and also to the ribs 8, whereby each core unit may be made of thin gage metal and yet be resisted to coinparatively heavy distorting strains.

The core is made up of enough such units j to extend from one side of the radiator to the other, with the units united at their crimped edges throughout the length of the latter. This also very materially enhances the rigidity and strength of the unit.

When two core units, such ,as shown in i Fig. 6, are joined along the edges by nesting the crimped edges into each other and solderingor otherwise fastening them together, the hollow or intaglio portions of the ribs 8 are brought against the plane or flat surface of the adjacent folded sheet or strip with the hollow sides of the ribs of one unit crossing those of the next adjacent unit.

The intaglio sides of the ribs cross each other a short distance from the outer ends of said ribs, as best indicated in Fig. 5. linthis manner, water from the chamber 2 may find its way by gravity in a tortuous path through the core by way of the channels formed by the crossed intaglio sides of the ribs to the chamber 3. Sinee the meeting faces of the adjacent unlts are not united and the units are fastened together only at theedges 7,

,more, or less of the water may trickle down between such meeting faces while flowing in greater volume by way of the channels 65.

formedby the, crossed intaglio sides of the ribs. In this manner, there is a relatively large surface of water presented to a relatively large volume of air through thin metallic walls of large heat-conducting capac ity. This means that the radiator is particularly e'l'licient in rapidly reducing the temperature of the heated water in passing through it.

The units are united only at the edges, and being of thin sheet metal, readily yield or expand in case of freezing of the water, thus avoiding dan'iage to the radiator in freezing weather. lhe ribsand corrugated edges of the units stiffen the units and also contribute to the resistance of the units to the effects of freezing.

While the shape of the crimps or corrugations '2' of the strips or sheets from which the units are made are so formed that hexagons are produced in the finished units, it is to be understood that any other appropriate shape may be employed for the mouths of the air passages through which the cooling air finds access to the interiors of the units. The hexagon'shape is advantageous in permitting close fitting and firm union between. the edge portions of the units and providing for hermetic sealing of such edge portions of adjacent units so that no leakage occurs in the waterronducting portions of the core. p

While the radiator core is adapted for the gravity flow of water therethrough, the radiator is also adapted for use where forced circulatio is employed.

Nhat is claimed is I 1 1. A radiator core comprising a plurality of units with each unit composed of an elongated strip of sheet-metal with corrugated or crimped edges and folded inter- 105 mediately of its length upon itself, the edges nesting in each other and securedtogether against leakage between them, the folded strip having laterally extended meeting faces with diagonal grooves crosswise of 110 the inner faces between. the edges and hav ing ribs in relief on the outer faces, whereby the unit has a continuous zig-zag duct from top to bottom, the core being made up of a plurality of such units and the hollow ribs formed by the grooves in relief being located between the units to restrict the spaces formed thereby, and the united crimped nested edges providing mouths for admitting air between the units in close contact with the walls of the ducts formed by'the communicating hollow ribs.

2. In a radiator core, a group of units each formed of a strip of metal bent intermediately upon itself and hermetically joined along the edges which are opposite the. bent portion, with those edges towards the'front and rear of the radiator pressed in honeycomb form and adapted to nest one in the other, the remainder of the strips between the edges lying flat against each other, the honeycomb formation providing mouths leading to the interior of the radiator core, and the several units being joined together at their honeycomb edges, whereby the walls of the unit are united together against leakage and the units of the radiator core are'united against separation, and water passages formed between adjacent units,

3. A radiator composed of-sheet-metal' strips with those edges toward the front and rear of the radiator pressed into honey-comb form adapted tonest one in the other and there united against leakage, and the rema-inder of the strips between'the edges lying flat against each other, and provided with outwardly projecting hollow ribs 6X,

tending diagonally from edgeto edge of the unit and crossing and communicating to provide a zig-Zag channel throughout the height of the radiator, with the relief side'of the ribs of less depth than the nested portionsof the edges of the units to provide nassages between the units of larger capacity than the passage formed by the associatedribs, and each unit being made fast at the honeycomb mouths to the next unit in order.

I 4. A radiator core unit comprising an elongated strip of sheet-metal substantially flat throughout the greater portion of its length and width, with-the strip folded intermediately upon itselfand having the long edges crimped or corrugated, whereby the corrugations may be nested and hermetically closed, and the fiat mid-portion of the strip having diagonally arran ed hollow ribs with the hollow portions facingeach other and crossing and-communicating to form a J 3 edges crimped or corrugated, whereby the I I corrugations may be nested and hermetically 1 closed, andizthe flat mid-portionof the strip having diagonally arranged hollow ribs with the hollow portions facing each other and" crossing and communicating to form a tortuous pas'sagellengthwise of 'the unit for the flow of water therethrough, the core being U A formed of numerous units brought together 'atthe fcrimped or corrugated edges to provide many air passages leading to the inte-. rior of the core between the units.

In testimony, that I claim theforegoing as my own, I havehereto aflixed my signature.

JOSEPH A. KUENZ. U 

